Mexico City (April 16, 2024) – Village Capital, with the support of MetLife Foundation, announced that nine startups have been selected to participate in ADAPT: Social Innovation for a More Resilient Future in Latin America. ADAPT is an accelerator program for impact-creating startups developing solutions that enable equity, democratize access to basic services, and strengthen communities and individuals in the face of climate change, economic inequality, and other challenges to their wellbeing.
The open call focused on startups working towards social resilience, prioritizing startups led by women, as well as founders who have lacked the opportunity to pursue higher education. This program is focused on supporting those who have been marginalized or have had less access to the resources needed to scale their projects.
Over 100 startups from 11 Latin American countries applied to participate in the accelerator. The final cohort is composed of ten startups from four countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico) 56% of the cohort is headquartered outside of Latin America’s tech hubs and 78% is led by a female founder or C-suite member.
Here are the nine innovative selected startups:
From March to June 2024, the selected startups will participate in three online workshops and one in-person summit in Mexico City, as well as receive mentorship from potential strategic partners, investors, customers, other founders and Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) in Latin America, as well as from MetLife executives in the region. Startups will also have an opportunity to have a one-on-one session with an investment analyst for feedback and support.
Two companies from the cohort will be selected by their peers and will receive USD 10K each from MetLife Foundation to further scale their solutions. All startups that apply to the program will be invited to join Abaca, Village Capital’s online free product that empowers entrepreneurs to make strategic decisions that align with their mission and vision in their fundraising journey. Abaca houses tools that help entrepreneurs identify their level of investment readiness, plan and track milestones, explore financing options, and identify relevant resources and capital providers.
For more information, reach out to Yireth Villaverde at Village Capital (yireth.villaverde@vilcap.com).
About Village Capital
Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage companies to maximize business and impact growth.
Village Capital has operated in Latin America since 2015 by running over 20 accelerator programs involving more than 20 countries in the region including Bolivia, Guatemala, and Paraguay. VilCap has supported more than 200 locally-based startups working in sectors such as economic mobility, financial health, and sustainable agriculture. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @vilcap_latam.
About MetLife Foundation
At MetLife Foundation, we are committed to driving inclusive economic mobility. We collaborate with nonprofit organizations and provide grants aligned to three strategic focus areas – economic inclusion, financial health and resilient communities – while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its inception, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $1 billion to strengthen communities where MetLife has a presence. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.
